Federalism: The Great Lost Concept (Dan McCarthy)

Ron Paul campaign blogger Daniel McCarthy talks about the forgotten concept of federalism and how President Paul would work to restore it:

Federalism, the binding together loosely of the several states, would serve to prevent the concentration of power in a central government and was a crucial element in the new Republic. The authors of the Constitution wrote strict limits on the national government and strove to protect the rights and powers of the states and the people.

Dividing and keeping separate the legislative, executive, and the judiciary branches, provided the checks and balances thought needed to preserve the Republic the Constitution created and the best way to preserve individual liberty.

- Ron Paul

Over 200 years ago, our Founding Fathers came together and crafted a revolutionary document: the U.S. Constitution. These men had put their “lives, fortunes, and sacred honor” on the line to separate themselves from the tyranny of King George III.

The brilliance of the Constitution lay in its separation of powers. Never before had a government been purposefully constructed to avoid the darker nature of men. James Madison, the Father of the Constitution, stated in The Federalist #45 that the powers delegated - that is, given to the new central government by the states - were “few and defined.” The powers retained by the states were “numerous and indefinite.”

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